


Doodle

by DudeSmashMyWindows



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Drinking, Gen, Other, Phase Two (Gorillaz)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25511587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DudeSmashMyWindows/pseuds/DudeSmashMyWindows
Summary: Noodle gets herself a friend. Also, Murdoc drags 2D to a pub and they both get stinking drunk.
Relationships: Murdoc Niccals & Stuart "2D" Pot, Noodle & OC, Russel Hobbs & Noodle
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Noodle bounced down the haunted halls of Kong Studios, her face bright and jaunty.

She was always lively, always flashing a toothy grin or breaking into chittery laughter, but today she was practically glowing. Was it because their second album, “Demon Days,” had rocketed to No. 1 on the charts?

The success had certainly did wonders for Murdoc's mood; instead of grousing and growling all day, he was vibrant with debauchery, going out to the pubs and being quite matey and chummy – at least for him.

But Noodle didn't really care. She was just 14, after all; she wasn't worried about whether she was a superstar or if big bucks were coming in. She just wanted a new gameboy.

No, Noodle's good mood was from something else entirely. She had a special visitor. “I'm coming!” she shouted, skipping to the tall foreboding gates at the front of the building.

Ordinarily, no child would dare come to Kong Studios. It was why, despite being world-famous and all-around a very cool young lady, Noodle didn't have any friends her age. The moment they laid eyes on those sinister gates, the long stretching shadows, the two scary twins who often hung around as “security”, and smelled the dank, indescribable scent that floated endlessly in the air around Kong, they were gone, scared shitless.

It didn't break Noodle's heart.

“Pussies,” was all she had to say for them. But she couldn't help but feel a bit lonely sometimes.

To everyone at Kong Studios, she was just a kid. Not that they talked down to her, or anything. No, they treated her pretty much as they would an adult, which she loved. But... how could she put it? They knew things that she didn't. She was always getting things explained to her.

She didn't mind; she did have a lot to learn after all. But sometimes she wished she could be the one explaining, and someone else could be clueless, watching with awe as she showed them things, hanging on her every word so they could know as much as she did.

Well, today she'd gotten lucky. A boy was coming. He'd promised he'd visit Kong Studios, even after she'd told him what it looked like and all. Of course, that was over the safety of the phone, and it's not like she hadn't gone through it before with other boys and girls: securing a promise that they'd be there only to get stood up at the gates, waiting for hours until night fell and she had to admit that yet again no one was coming.

But this time was a little different. He'd actually rung the little gong she'd set up on the ground beneath her window. And as she pushed the big gate open a crack, she could see his silhouette in the overgrown grass, standing calmly in the rain.

“Hey Noodle.” he said, and his face was illuminated by a flash of lightning.

“Konnichiwa!” Noodle beamed at him. “You came! Come inside."

She practically dragged him in by the arm, shutting the gates cautiously behind her.

“This Kong Studios?” he asked. (He was Slovakian, so he spoke English at about the same rudimentary level as Noodle once had when she was younger.)

“Yes,” Noodle replied. She pointed at herself. “This is where I spend pretty much every day, writing songs for Gorillaz, and playing with Mike.” She sighed at the boy's blank stare. "He's my monkey." she elaborated. 

“Cool,” said the boy. “I like -” and he pointed at one of Murdoc's prized rubber crosses hanging on the wall.

“Eh,” Noodle waved dismissively. “ _I'll_ show you cool.”

Once again she was dragging him along, this time to her room. The boy looked around.

Guitars, records, gameboys, posters, a big stereo. It was all there. Everything he would've liked. The dream room, in fact.

But he didn't look overly impressed. “Cool,” he repeated flatly, nodding his head.

Noodle pursed her lips, pleased by his laid-back attitude. “You play?” she asked, pointing at her gameboy.

“Yeah,” the boy nodded vigorously.

“You good?”

“YEAH.” Extra emphasis.

Noodle folded her arms, smirking. “I'm better.” she grinned.

The boy merely gave her the finger, snatching the gameboy out of her hands.

Noodle snickered, as the moment the screen came on, her high score shone for all to see. 2,225,602. The boy looked back at Noodle, his eyes slit. She nodded, her wonky teeth giving her smile that much more menace.

* * *

Meanwhile, Murdoc was banging on 2D's door.

He was blind-drunk – not that it wasn't a normal state for him, nor did it dampen his desire for another go at the pub.

“Stuuuart!” he drawled coaxingly, with a faintly disturbing smile. “Come on, let's go! Let's hit the pub, shall we? Come on!”

On the other side of the door, 2D grimaced. He was already dealing with a nauseating migraine headache; he really didn't need any excess noise.

“Sod off,” he murmured, knowing Murdoc couldn't hear him. He didn't want him to. If he pretended to be asleep, maybe the grimy old goon would just leave...

“Stuuuart! I know you're in there! Come on!” Murdoc's voice and banging was getting louder.

“Don't be shyyyy! Nobody ever looks at you anyway! No, that wasn't it...” he laughed. “I was trying to make a joke about your eyes... or lack thereof, hehehe...”

“Dammit, Murdoc!” 2D lost patience and yelled, in spite of his better judgment. “Jus' go somewhere, why don' you?”

A highly idiotic move. In less than ten minutes, 2D was out of bed with a little bruise forming under his chin, and in the weirdness of the fading sun, was off with Murdoc to the pub down the street.


	2. Chapter 2

Pubs weren't exactly 2D's scene.

It's not that he had anything against the shadow people who lay in those dingy, smoke-filled rooms, wasting themselves on hard liquor or rum or whatever tickled their fancy. He just didn't see what any of it had to do with him.

He'd played piano in pubs every now and again as a slightly younger dude, but unless he could bum a free fag off somebody and get a few dollars, it generally wasn't worth his time.

He remembered one day, back when he still had eyes to speak of, tears had started coursing down his cheeks because they couldn't handle all the steam in the atmosphere. Everyone had been very kind to him, patting him on the back and trying to lead him outside for some fresh air – probably they'd been enjoying his music and didn't want it to end. He very nearly passed out, but managed to come back and finish his set, and he could still hear, faintly in his memory, the joyous applause...

But that was a long time ago, and felt even more distant. Now he was rich, at least in theory, and if he wanted a fag or some money, he could just ask someone and it would be his. Almost anything would be, when he came to think of it.

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“Murdoc?” he said absently. “I fink I'm gonna buy me some sweets. A whole box of like... pepp'uhmints.”

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It was a full ten seconds before 2D realized Murdoc wasn't anywhere near him. He was lurking in a corner, bottle of whiskey in hand, messily tongue-kissing some broad in stilettos who was drowning in his lust and reciprocating in kind.

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2D blinked confusedly, then, as more realization tumbled into his head, he folded his arms in disgust.

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“Bastard!” he thought. “Fancy draggin' me out o' bed jus' so he can run off wit' some bitch! Shit, he coulda done that wit' out me!”

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Blankly he watched the two make out for a few seconds, weirdly mesmerized by the action of Murdoc's tongue. It didn't occur to him very often, but the man's tongue was ludicrously long. Like a serpent. Or an eel.

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_E_ _h, who bloody cares._

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He sighed and tossed down another pint. If nothing else, he could at least get a good buzz on.

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“DOOOOODLE!” the 14-year-old boy triumphantly slammed the gameboy down. 

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Noodle's jaw was on the floor.

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**2,225,632.**

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The score flashed like a hailstorm of glittering comets.

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“Doodle?” she repeated, a bit confused. “Ahhh!” she perked up instantly as she thought about it. “I didn't introduce myself,” she said, standing straight and shaking his hand. “My name is Noodle. And I presume that you are Doodle?”

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“Eh?” the boy knit his eyebrows, clearly not pleased, but Noodle ignored this.

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Instead she wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. “You,” she smiled, pulling back to look into his face. “Got the cool shoe-shine.”

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“Eh?” the boy looked even more confused, his thick eyebrow raised under his silver bangs.

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“Something I used to say when I was a kid,” Noodle replied. She scampered up excitedly. “You and me!” she said. “Noodle, Doodle. It rhymes. We're like a pair.”

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The boy just stared at her. She cursed in frustration, tapping her foot as she tried to think of words he could understand.

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“Friend!” she finally shouted, snapping her fingers in triumph. “Noodle-kun, Doodle-kun.” She said it slowly, pointing at herself, then at him. “We are friends! Get it? Fr-iends!”

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She yanked him to his feet, bubbling with energy. “Let's tell everybody!”

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“Everybody?” Doodle raised his other eyebrow.

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“Mmm,” Noodle nodded, already half-way down the hall. “Come on!”

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Doodle shrugged his shoulders and followed her.

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Russel was Noodle's go-to guy for a lot of things. Companionship, advice, security. She never really thought about it, but in a way, the man was like a father to her. She could tell him anything, good or bad, and could always rely on him, no matter the situation.

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So quite naturally, he was the first person she ran to, her new friend in tow.

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“Russ?” she squealed, kicking at the door. “Russ-kun? Open the door, I have a surprise to show you!”

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Russel sighed, but went to the door with a smile on his face.

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“What is it baby-girl?” he said, then quickly made a double-take. Was that a little boy standing next to her?

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Noodle clapped her hands, tickled at his astonishment. “Surprise!” she chortled. “This -” she slung her arm around the boy, “is Doodle!”

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“Well, well, well. How are you, Doodle?” Russel stuck out a big hand, which the boy seized firmly.

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“Doodle, shaw!” he grimaced, rolling his eyes, but Russel couldn't see this under the boy's long silver bangs.

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“So, you've finally got yourself a buddy, eh, Noods?” Russel patted her affectionately on the shoulder. He turned to the boy. “I'm pretty sure you've seen Noodle's quite a kid. She can play guitar, she can sing, and she can sure bust some kickass judo. What can you do?”

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The boy tilted his head to the side. He hadn't understood, but being fairly perceptive, he did catch the general meaning.

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“ _Vyhra!_ ” he said, his teeth flashing in a golden grin.

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“Oh.” said Russel. “I see. You're a winner. That's a good thing to be, man.”

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Doodle merely shrugged his shoulders, but the grin on his face betrayed his glee.

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“How would y'all like to go get something to eat?” said Russel. “I could take you out to McDonalds' or wherever you wanna go.”

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Noodle hopped with excitement. “I would love that!” she said.

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“O.K.,” said Doodle.

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Russel pulled out his jangling silver keys. “Then let's roll.”

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“Fuck you, Murdoc!” 2D shouted suddenly, then fell to pissed grumblings. “Just fuck off, will ya, ya cunt-faced bitch.”

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The bassist was long gone; he was likely in the stall, fucking that girl he'd been kissing. Or having a threesome. Or a fucking orgy. Who really knew. Murdoc was depraved, possessed by Himeros – no amount of sex could satiate him, and no amount of debauchery was out of his realm.

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And there 2D was, sitting on his own in a dank corner of the bar, hot, tired, and bored to death, having no idea what he should do next. Every two minutes he was determined to just take off – but then he'd remember Murdoc had the car keys, and since walking home was out of the question, he'd sigh in defeat and order another drink, contenting himself with merely cussing out the bassist.

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He had no idea how many pints he'd put away.

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His headache was gone, replaced by a fuzzy, oddly warm sensation, and the world looked a tad blurry.

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Not that he wasn't used to this... And he wasn't drunk, he was pretty sure of that. Even if he was feeling a little light-headed, he was **not** drunk.

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He was going home.

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He was _walking_ home.

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It was high time...

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He got to his feet, swaying unsteadily, and stumbled two steps towards the door, crashing into an abandoned table in the corner. A few people turned their heads at the sound of the rattling glass, and 2D shrugged his shoulders, half-apologetic, half-not-giving-a-shit.

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“Are you all right, suhr?” the bartender asked in a brisk cockney accent.

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“Yeah, 'm fine,” 2D's tongue clung to the roof of his mouth, much to his annoyance.

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Two minutes later, he was out on the sidewalk, looking up at the pitch black sky, the cool chill of the evening hitting his face. He sighed, slowly lifting his bottle of kirsch and draining what was left of it. “Christ, I need a fag,” he muttered, reaching into his pocket as he stared at the long road ahead of him.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If anyone reading this speaks Japanese, let me know down in the comments if "Chinsui" was the right word to use there (DARE). Thanks

“Well, that was fun, right y'all?” Russel smiled at the two kids as they played with their Happy Meal toys.

“Food shit,” said Doodle flatly, but he quickly added “Toy cool!” with a big grin.

“Mmm-hmm,” Noodle agreed emphatically, looking at Doodle with a tiny heart in her eyes.

Russel raised his eyebrow slightly; nothing missed his eyes, after all.

But soon both his eyebrows shot up – he'd seen something else.

A tall scarecrow of a boy was leaning against a lightpost not far away, trying to keep himself from falling over and looking generally fucked. His cerulean hair was illuminated by the full moon, leaving Russel with no doubt as to who he was.

“2D?” he said, still a bit incredulous.

The boy turned around, blinking uncertainly. "Russss?" The black eyes dispelled any particle of doubt Russel might've had left.

“Yo, man, what's up? You okay?” Russel asked, coming towards him.

2D paused, trying to focus on the blur coming towards him. “Oh, hi, Russ,” he finally said, relief swimming onto his face. “I f'ought it was you. Oh, an' is that Noodle?”

He flicked his hand towards her, scruffing her hair.

“2D?” Noodle folded her arms. “ _Chinsui_?” she turned to Russel.

“'D?” Russel cupped 2D's face in his hands, forcing him to look into his eyes. 2D's face was peculiarly flushed, and within seconds Russel could smell the cherry-scented alcohol on his breath. “What the hell, 'D?" he asked, shaking his head. "Get dumped or somethin'?”

2D's face clouded with momentary confusion. Then he snapped his fingers. “ _Murdoc_ ,” he drawled, annoyance knitting his brows. “'E drags me out to the club, right? And then, like minutes la'er, he's gone! Bloody gone wit' a bird an' that! Oi, oi, oi, that's all fine and dandy, but 'ow's I'm getting 'ome, eh? Wot, forgot _youse_ the one wit' the fuckin' car!”

Noodle couldn't help but snicker as she stared at 2D; he was rarely so... outright **angry**. Yes, he had a tendency to be more or less melancholy, and sometimes he could get plain salty, but in general he had a rather mild disposition and rarely stirred from mellow absent-mindedness.

“Come on,” Russel slung 2D's arm under his own, barely catching the singer before he could topple flat on his face. “Let's get you home.”

“I'm fine, I'm a'right,” 2D insisted as they walked towards the car.

“Are ya?” Russel raised an eyebrow.

“'Course! I ain't drunk, if that's wot you're thinkin'.”

“Gotta admit it crossed my mind.” said Russel.

“ _Oh come on, man, ain't no way he sober_.” Del chimed in, rolling his eyes.

“Well I'm not, I jus' had like six pints an' a bottle of shit that tasted like a cherry 'ead.” 2D protested. He hiccuped loudly, but didn't seem to notice either it or the irony of it given what he'd just said. Instead, he looked at Doodle.

“Wot the 'ell is this?” he said, pointing at the boy. “It's like Noodle but fuckin' white-'aired or somefing.”

“This is Noodle's new friend, Doodle,” Russel explained. “Doodle, this here's our lead singer, 2D.”

“Hi,” Doodle said cheerily, sticking out a hand.

2D shook it forcefully. “'Ello my good man.” he said, then stumbled off to the car, leaving Doodle to wonder if there had just been a mini earth-quake.

* * *

Russel surveyed the scene in front of him.

Noodle and Doodle were chilling on the couch, watching some old action anime on TV, delighted by the flashing lights and big robots.

2D was laying on the floor, passed out with a goofy smile on his face, his knife resting in his hands. Russel had tried to take it away so the boy wouldn't accidentally cut himself when he awoke; but 2D was holding it with surprising firmness and the drummer eventually had to give up.

It was a twisted, yet peaceful scene, and beneath his furrowed eyebrows, Russel smiled.

* * *

Murdoc staggered in around 3 o' clock in the morning, slurring out a torrent of incoherent nonsense. Apparently he needed a Bible verse to impress a Christian chick he was “entertaining” in his Winnebago, but Russel couldn't be sure (and for once, even Del was confused. “ _He on some next level shit right there_ ,” was all he said).

“Satan swallow me,” Murdoc groused, dragging his hand across his forehead in exasperation. “My mind's a blllank... I'm jussht gonna send that bloody beaut to uh... a tampon store.”

Russel sighed. Thank God the kids were asleep. “Good luck,” he said, raising his eyebrow.

“Huh?” Murdoc turned to him, confused; he'd forgotten the other man was there. “ _Whatever_ ,” he snarled, and lurched to the door.

Two minutes later, Russel saw a slim figure with long brown hair getting forcibly ejected into the street, and with the moonlight being so intense, it was pretty obvious it was not a girl, but a dude. The young man dusted himself off casually, zipped up his black leather jacket, and walked off, swaying a bit in his cowboy boots.

Murdoc came back inside, slamming the front door behind him.

“Shh!” Russel put a finger to his lips, glaring at Murdoc. “Can't you see the kids are sleepin'?”

Murdoc scowled for a second before breaking into an odd smile. “Kids?” he slurred. “Oh, come on. Once you get past thirteen yerr ain't a kid... I know that, by experience...'cossss...” He groaned something unintelligible and collapsed on the floor not far from 2D.

Del laughed. “ _Seems like just a normal night to me_.”

Russel slowly raised his eyebrows. “I dunno." he said. "Think I'll go get my red riding hood dress.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, just wanted to say hi at the end here. Thanks for reading! Also, here's a question: would you like to see a revival of G-Bites? Yay, or nay - and have a cool day.


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